Outliving has separated its premium brands from its gift and novelty labels with the launch of new wholesale brand The Collective.
The initiative means the company’s 11 internationally renowned brands including Orla Kiely, Jonathon Adler and new addition Rice will feature in a different catalogue, trade show stand and website, and have different marketing and customer support strategies to products under the Outliving name.
Following the soft launch in February with a back to back catalogue, Outliving continued the transformation with separate trade fair stands at Home & Giving Melbourne this month. The stands were side by side and each had a layout and design reflecting the concept of the brands.
Director Barry Glick says the next stage is to unveil The Collective’s website, which is currently under construction.
“Outliving’s distribution of a growing amount of brands brought us to a point where it was obvious that some brands did not sit harmoniously alongside others,” he says. This led us to the creation of two wholesale brands.
“The different brands and product types need to be tended to in a different way. Our international brands that reach beyond our industry – The Collective – require a different approach to distribution. There are important stories to be told and we do this with product training, merchandising assistance, marketing support and other initiatives whereas our stable of gift and novelty brands may not have a compelling backstory – these are great, functional, well-designed products that explain themselves and fly off the shelf.”
Retailer feedback has so far been positive but Glick believes he won’t truly know how successful it is until The Collective is completely set up.
“For now we are still in the implementation phase which will be complete by the end of the year. The future is bright and exciting. Some things on the boil include PR and marketing events for particular brands, world-class branded window displays, designer and founder meet and greets … stay tuned for more,” he adds.
